Bryant's heroics lift Lakers past Raptors
Basketball Betting Lines
03/10/2010 -
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kobe Bryant played hero again, sinking the
winning jumper from the right baseline with 1.9 seconds left, and the Los Angeles Lakers snapped a three-game skid with a 109-107 victory over the
Toronto Raptors.
Bryant, who missed a potential winning three-pointer at the end of regulation
in a 106-105 loss in Toronto on January 24, scored 32 points, dished out six
assists and had six rebounds.
Andrew Bynum tallied 22 points, while Pau Gasol registered 17 points and nine
boards for the Lakers, who were on their longest skid since January of 2008.
Chris Bosh hit the tying three-pointer with 9.5 seconds left in regulation and
finished with 22 points for Toronto, which has lost six of seven overall and
eight straight on the road against the Lakers. Andrea Bargnani added 21 points
and Jarrett Jack notched 18 points, seven boards and seven assists.
A turnover by Hedo Turkoglu led to a pair of free throws for Derek Fisher,
giving the Lakers a 106-102 lead with 30.6 seconds left.
Jose Calderon then drove in for a quick bucket before Lamar Odom made 1-of-2
at the charity stripe with 19.6 seconds left. Bosh then tied the game from the
top of the arc before Bryant worked his magic.
Bryant drove around Antoine Wright and shot the ball over a pair of defenders
before it swished through for the lead. It was the sixth game-winning shot of
the season for Bryant, who had 14 points in the last quarter.
"They didn't come early at me and I got the shot off," Bryant said. "That's
part of my responsibility, to close teams out. Our defense tonight was
garbage. We have to focus on execution."
Wright's desperation shot from deep in his own end was way off the mark.
"It was no secret he was going to take the shot," Toronto coach Jay Triano
said. "We ran two guys at him and he still made it."
Toronto trailed 29-24 after one quarter, but surged late in the second to grab
a 58-50 lead at halftime. The Raptors continued to hold the advantage in the
third, moving to the last period with an 84-81 edge.
Game Notes
The Lakers haven't lost four in a row since April 8-13, 2007...This was the
start of a four-game road trip for Toronto with contests upcoming against
Sacramento, Golden State and Portland...The Lakers finished 36-of-44 at the
foul line...Toronto has lost eight of its last 10 vs. the Lakers.
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Big 12 Conference betting odds
Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State
Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.
Work left to do:
Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.
Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.
Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.
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